The aliens are coming

Today we came to The Lightbox in Woking to see the Alien Invasion exhibition. This exhibition primarily focuses on The War of the Worlds and the inspiration that H. G. Wells took from the town of Woking in writing the book. There was a large three legged War of the Worlds robot which was cleverly lit with LED lasers and looked very frightening. Other exhibits ranged from a Dalek to comics, books, and robots of all sizes and designs.

The exhibition describes the story of the original radio broadcast that was listened to by millions of people in 1938. The radio dramatization was presented as a series of radio programs that could have been taken from Radio 4 which are regularly interrupted by news bulletins describing an alien invasion. At that time radio was a new and powerful communication medium and the presentation was so convincing that many naïve earthlings believed that it was a real alien invasion taking place. This is available from iTunes.

The museum itself was easy to find and a disabled parking place can be reserved by phoning in advance. Once inside it is very light, airy, and extremely spacious. Wheelchair access throughout was excellent with the biggest lift we have ever encountered to move between floors. There are also other exhibitions about the history of Woking, a gift shop, and a lovely café.